LAS CRUCES – The attorney representing the woman who pleaded guilty to federal charges related to an identity-theft scam involving the Doña Ana County Clerk’s Office said Thursday that the state case may be resolved by a plea agreement early next year.

Maria Ceniceros, 43, of Anthony, N.M., appeared before Chief District Judge Fernando R. Macias on Thursday in 3rd Judicial District Court in Las Cruces.

Ceniceros, a former document technician for the county clerk’s office, was arrested in May for her alleged role in the widespread scam. She is accused of facilitating the scam by using her position at the clerk’s office to steal the identities from more than 100 registered voters in order to generate and cash fraudulent federal income tax refund checks.

Last month, Ceniceros and Armando Gutierrez-Torres, 51, a Mexican national, pleaded guilty to federal charges. Sentencing hasn't been scheduled, but the defendants each face two years in federal prison.

Ceniceros was indicted in June by a Doña Ana County grand jury. She was charged with 113 counts of identity theft, as well as 10 additional counts of racketeering, forgery, fraud, conspiracy to commit forgery, conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering.

During Thursday’s hearing in Las Cruces District Court, Ceniceros’ attorney, Mario Esparza, a public defender, told Judge Macias that a resolution in the state case would likely come in the form of a plea agreement early next year, after Ceniceros is sentenced in federal court.

Terms of the potential plea agreement were not discussed by Esparza or the case’s lead prosecutor, Jose Arguello of the 3rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

If the parties do not reach an agreement in Ceniceros’ state case, a jury trial would be scheduled for next year.

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(Photo: Robin Zielinski / Sun-News)

Also on Thursday, Gutierrez-Torres and Ceniceros’ husband, Francisco Ceniceros, 47, appeared in Las Cruces District Court for matters related to the scam.

Francisco Ceniceros was indicted in June and charged with racketeering and conspiracy to commit fraud (less than $2,500). In September, a motion was granted to severe his case from the two other cases.

On Thursday, Judge Macias gave his attorney, Michael Gibson, and Arguello additional time to settle evidence issues. A trial date was not scheduled.

Gutierrez-Torres’ hearing was rescheduled because his attorney, Todd Holmes, did not show up to court on Thursday. He was indicted in June and charged with racketeering, conspiracy to commit identity theft and conspiracy money laundering.